October 25, 2015

Founded in 2008, Oriole Coffee + Bar is one of the pioneers of Singapore's third wave coffee movement. Besides having their own coffee roasting facility, they also have a café outlet at Pan Pacific Serviced Suites Somerset, and recently opened a new branch at Capitol Piazza.

We decided to stop by for cup of coffee after a less-than-stellar meal at MOS Café, and were pleasantly surprised to see there's a Weekday 1-For-1 Lunch Specials on their Classics, Sandwiches and Salads (available Mondays to Fridays, 12pm to 3pm). Feeling peckish for more food, we went for it of course!

From the Oriole's classics selection, we made choices of Fish & Chips ($20) and Capellini Crabmeat ($26). The lunch special also include other items such as Beef Cheek Tagliatelle ($22), B.L.T. Sandwich ($16), and Warm Spinach Salad ($18) with portobello confit, serrana jamon, poached egg and shaved black truffles!

There was an initial worry that it will be a long wait as our friend who went to place order at the counter told us, "aiyoh the person in front of me ordered for a village!". Haha he's exaggerating a little of course, but thankfully our food arrived sooner than expected.

The deep-fried snapper fillet looked promising with its light golden tan, but its texture was a tad dry for our liking. Faring much better was the capellini. Cooked to lovely al-dente bite, the pasta dish satisfied with its slightly spicy aglio olio flavors and generous chunks of crabmeat.

My cup of Latte ($5.50) provided an enjoyable caffeine fix. Those who prefer cold-brews might want to try Oriole's series of ice coffee named Taisho. Available in Black ($6), White ($7), as well as M.A.D. Milk ($8) which is a diary-free nut milk made with macadamias, almonds and dates.

Its ambience might not be the best for a café chillaxing experience, but if I'm in the city hall area and looking for a good lunch deal with reasonably good quality, I will hop over to Oriole. Ahh, and must have a cup of their coffee too, definitely.